130 Human Rights Organizations Appeal to the Pope to Demand the Release of Political...

130 human rights organizations and bodies issued a joint statement, calling on Pope Francis to adopt an initiative to urge the Bahraini authorities to end human rights violations, really shift towards transitional justice, be fair, provide reparation to all victims, and release all prisoners of conscience, including human rights defenders and opposition leaders.

Dr. Nizam Assaf, head of the Amman Center for Human Rights Studies, pointed out that Pope Francis can play a positive role in urging to carry out a national reconciliation and stop violations. As a civil society, we look forward to the role of spiritual leaders, such as the Pope, in ending the course of political repression in Bahrain.
As for Baqer Darwish, chairman of the Bahrain Forum for Human Rights, he said that while the Bahraini authorities raise the slogan of religious tolerance, they continue the sectarian persecution inside Bahrain. The high ministerial leaders involved in the demolition of 38 mosques, including the Ministers of Interior and of Justice and the Commander-in-Chief of the Bahrain Defense Force, were not held accountable. As for the Minister of Interior, he targeted more than 150 Shiite religious scholars through security summons, in addition to revoking the nationalities of 19 religious scholars, including Ayatollah Sheikh Isa Qassim, who is residing in exile. Moreover, Darwish pointed out that if there were real religious tolerance in Bahrain, the first meeting of the Pope would have been with Sheikh Isa Qassim, like the meeting with Sayed Sistani.
The undersigned human rights and civil organizations expressed their deep concern about the policy of suppressing public freedoms, which has been adopted by the successive governments of the State of Bahrain for more than ten years. During these years, the forms of violations have varied and included arbitrary arrests, more than 20,000 cases of which occurred during eleven years, torture (more than 6,000 victims), and extrajudicial killings (more than 200). Moreover, hundreds of victims were subjected to enforced disappearance, unfair trials, religious persecution, travel bans, and revocation of citizenship (more than 1,000 cases). 5 politically-motivated death sentences were carried out, and 12 are now pending. Other forms of violations included illegal naturalization, demolition of 38 mosques, denial of civil and political rights, and dissolution of opposition political societies (Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, National Democratic Action Society (Wa’ad), Islamic Action Society (Amal)). Bahrain suffers from a massive human rights and political crisis. There is a blatant evasion from the implementation of international obligations related to the Universal Periodic Review. Moreover, the rights of citizens of various political, social and religious backgrounds have been violated, not to mention freedom of political action has been eliminated.

The following is the statement in four languages:

130 human rights organizations appeal to the Pope of the Vatican to demand the release of prisoners of conscience in Bahrain

On the occasion of his upcoming visit to Bahrain, we wish on the Pope to call for the release of the prisoners of conscience

In light of the upcoming visit of Pope Francis to Bahrain between 3-6 November, the organizations who signed on this statement hope that His Holiness will adopt an initiative urging the Bahraini authorities to end violations and issue a real shift towards transitional justice, fairness and reparation for all victims and the release of all prisoners of conscience, including human rights defenders and opposition leaders.

Human rights organizations have monitored the imprisonment of opposition leaders, prisoners of conscience, and religious scholars who have always expressed their belief in the values of human rights, freedom, equality, religious tolerance and coexistence. Because of their demand for a state of social justice, equal citizenship, human dignity and political pluralism, they were subjected to arbitrary detention, torture, ill-treatment and long prison sentences, and some of them were executed and had their citizenship revoked.

The human rights and civil organizations that signed below express their deep concern about the policy of suppressing public freedoms pursued by the successive governments of the State of Bahrain for more than ten years, and in which forms of violations vary, such as: arbitrary arresting more than 20 thousand cases during eleven years, and torture (of more than 6000 victims), extrajudicial killings of more than (200), as well as hundreds of victims who were subjected to: enforced disappearance, unfair trials, religious persecution, travel bans, revocation of citizenship (more than a thousand cases), and political death sentences (12 rulings currently in execution against five detainees), naturalization in violation of the law, denial of civil and political rights, dissolution of opposition political societies (Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, Democratic National Action Society (Waad), Islamic Action Society (Amal)), which suffers from a wide human rights and political crisis, and outright evasion of the implementation of international obligations related to the universal periodic review, the demolition of 38 mosques, the violation of the rights of citizens of various political, social and religious persuasions, not to mention the end of political freedom of action.

Human rights organizations wish on the Pope of the Vatican to adopt an initiative urging the Bahraini authorities to release all prisoners of conscience, numbering nearly 1,500. We also urge all conference attendees to visit prisoners of conscience, led by opposition leaders, and to raise the human rights situation while they are in Bahrain with the official authorities.

 Coordination for Maghreb Human Rights Organizations (include 26 HR organizations from Morocco, Mauretania, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya)

The Moroccan Coalition for Human Rights Bodies (includes 20 Moroccan human rights organizations)

Feminist Action Federation / Palestine
Sudanese Women's Union
The Jordan Federation of the independent Trade Unions
The National Union of Tunisian Women
Union of Palestinian Working Women's Committees
Union of Palestinian Women's Committees
Union of Palestinian Women Struggle Committees
Tunisian Coalition Against the Death Penalty
The Human Rights Coalition to Stop the Aggression, Lift the Siege, and Build Peace in Yemen (includes 10 organizations from ten Arab countries)
Egyptian Coalition for Child Rights (includes 180 institutions)
Women’s Cultural Assembly for Democracy / Iraq
Cultural Rally for Democracy / Iraq
The International Alliance for Peace and Human Rights in the Middle East and the Arab World
Syrian Coalition Against the Death Penalty (SCODP)
Iraqi Coalition Against the Death Penalty
The Iraqi Alliance for Human Rights Organizations (includes 55 organizations)
The Arab Coalition against the Death Penalty (includes 9 coalitions in 8 countries)
Syrian Feminist Alliance to activate Security Council Resolution 1325
Yemeni Coalition Against the Death Penalty
Ibn Rushd Association for Development and Democracy / Iraq
The Jordan Society for Human Rights
Baraem Association for Social Work/Lebanon
Civil Solidarity Association / Tunis
Tunisian Association for the Support of Minorities
The Palestinian Developmental Feminist Studies Association
Association for the Defense of Human Rights/Morocco
Working Women's Association/Jordan
Women's Action Society for the Rehabilitation of Women and Children - Gaza / Palestine
Lebanese Association of Democratic Jurists
Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development PWWSD”

Women’s Association for Women’s Development and Development/ Yemen
Moroccan Association for Human Rights
The Moroccan Association for Women Progressive
Association of the Economic and Social Forum for Women / Jordan
Mauritanian Association for Human Rights
Social Relief Society for Women Development / Palestine
Women's Media Development Foundation - Tam/Palestin
Rural Women Development Association / Palestine
Jose Marti Association for Arab-Latin American Solidarity
Rachel Corrie Association for Solidarity Among Peoples
Roaa Women Association-Jordan
Women's Network Society for Women Support/ Jordan
Chamoua Association for Equality/Morocco
Aisha Association for the Protection of Women and Children _ Gaza / Palestine
Mothers School Association /Palestine
Association of the Jordanian Women's Solidarity Institute
Orient Forum Association for Freedom and Peace
Amman Forum for Human Rights Association/Jordan
Mizan Association for the Development of Human Rights in Iraq
Women's Association for Jerusalem / Lebanon
Association Wefaq pour la protection des femmes et des enfants / Palestine
Protecting human rights defenders around the Arab world/ France
Tunisian League for Tolerance
The Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rights
The Algerian League for Defense Human Rights
Association of Women Heads of Families from Mauritania
Iraqi League for Human Rights Trainers
The Jordanian Network for Human Rights (includes 11 human rights organizations)
The Moroccan Democratic Network for Solidarity with the Peoples(includes 38 Commission)
Global Network for the Defense of the Palestinian People
The Arab Human Rights Trainers Network
Women’s Peace and Security Network (Yemen)
The Syrian National Network for Civil Peace and Community Safety.
The Syrian Federation of Human Rights Organizations and Bodies
Committees for the Defense of Democratic Freedoms and Human Rights in Syria (LDH)
Committee on Public Liberties and Human Rights / Palestinian Bar Association
Syrian Medical Committee/Paris
Arab Commission for Human Rights

The Kurdish Committee for Human Rights in Syria (Al Rased).
The Vigilance Committee for Democracy in Tunisia / Belgium
Palestinian Initiative to Deepen Global Dialogue and Democracy-MIFTAH
International Council for Supporting Fair Trials and Human Rights
World Council for Rights and Freedoms
The Arab Observatory for Human Rights and Citizenship/ Lebanon
French Observatory for Human Rights/Paris
Human Rights & Democracy Media Center “SHAMS"/Palestine
Center for Research, Legal Consultation and Protection for Women – Gaza / Palestine
Community Media Center/Palestine
Bahrain Center for Human Rights
Khiam Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture-Lebanon
Women’s Studies Center/ Palestine
International Center for the Promotion of Rights and Freedoms – Swiss Association
Development Action Center - Ma'an / Palestine
The Palestinian Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and Advocates "Musawa"
Palestinian Centre for Peace and Democracy PCPD

Center for International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights/Yemen
Jerusalem Center for Legal Aid and Human Rights/Palestine
Damascus Center for Theoretical and Civil Studies
Women Affairs Center/Palestine
Amman Center for Human Rights Studies (ACHRS)
Metro Center for Defending the Rights of Journalists/ Iraq
Scandinavian Institute of Human Rights-Haitham Manaa Foundation/Geneva
Gulf Institute for Democracy and Human Rights
International Institute for Peace, Justice and Human Rights/Geneva
Dialogue Forum for Development and Human Rights / Egypt
Al-Najd Development Forum - Gaza / Palestine
Houran Forum for Citizenship/Syria
Takamol/Palestine Women's Advisory Forum
Economic and Social Forum for Women/Jordan
Bahrain Forum for Human Rights
Renewal Forum for Citizen and Democratic Thought / Tunisia
Sudanese National Civil Forum(includes 54 civil society organizations) / Sudan
Moroccan Forum for Truth and Equity
African Organization for Human Rights Monitoring/Morocco
Libyan Academic Organization
Civil Solidarity Organization for the Mediterranean / Tunisia
The Tunisian Organization against Torture
Gender Studies and Information Organization / Iraq
Organization for Defending Victims of Violence /Iran
Organization for the Defense of Prisoners of Conscience in Syria - Rawanga
The Arab Organization for Human Rights in Syria
The Kurdish Organization for Human Rights in Syria (DAD)
National Organization for Human Rights in Syria
Yemeni Organization for Dialogue of Religions and Cultures
Yemeni Organization for Humanitarian Action / Yemen
Freedom House Organization to defend human rights and combat slavery and its remnants/ Mauritania
ORGANIZATION FOR FREEDOM OF MEDIAS AND EXPRESSION- OFME- HATIM / MOROCCO
Human Rights Organization in Syria- Maf
Salam Organization for Democracy and Human Rights
Desert Youth Organization for Development and Human Rights / Libya
Yemeni Organization for Defense Rights and Democratic Freedoms/Yemen
Al-Haq Foundation for Freedom of Opinion and Expression and Human Rights/Egypt
The Middle East Foundation for Development and Human Rights (Yemen)
National Foundation to Combat Human Trafficking/Yemen
Future Partners Foundation for Development and Human Rights/Yemen
Mada Foundation for Human Rights / Iraq
The International Commission for Supporting the Rights of the Palestinian People
Sahel Authority for the Defense of Human Rights/Mauritania